Desserts for Easter

I was thinking I was done with all of my Easter posts and then I realized...I have a few desserts that are just fabulous for Easter dinner! I'm going to make my favorite whole wheat rolls and we haven't yet decided on desserts, but it is between banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, carrot cake or diced apple cake and maybe a chocolate pie (I'll have to post that later). Unfortunately, I don't have any great pictures of my cream pies...but don't you worry, they are amazing. They are made by making a true custard filling...to. die. for. My mom made them when we were little and it was the only type of cream pie I was accustomed to. The "instant pudding" pies just don't hold a candle to the custard pies. Anyway, here are some recipes:

Traditional Banana Cream Pie

1 Whole Wheat Pie Crust, baked

2/3 C sugar

4 T cornstarch

1⁄4 tsp salt

3 C-2% milk

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2 T butter

11⁄2 tsp vanilla

3 ripe bananas

1 C whipping cream

Fluffy Whipped Cream (recipe found below)

Prepare Whole Wheat Pie Crust and bake. Let it cool. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into sauce pan and add milk. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Stir and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat. Stir in about half of the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Pour mixture with egg yolks back into saucepan and stir to combine. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes is up, put mixture in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Stir the pudding mixture. Whip cream until soft peaks are formed. Fold into cooled pudding mixture. Slice bananas and layer on the bottom of the crust. Pour pudding mixture over the top. Top with Fluffy Whipped Cream. Keep in refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.

Variation: You can choose to omit the whipping cream and just pour hot custard into pie crust and put in the refrigerator to set. It is still delicious and a bit lighter! Note: Put lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray bananas lightly so they keep their color!

Here is the recipe for the Fluffy Whipped Cream:

Fluffy Whipped Cream

1 C whipped cream

1 T powdered sugar

1⁄2 tsp vanilla

Beat whipped cream until soft peaks form. Fold in powdered sugar to taste and add vanilla.

Meringue-Topped Coconut Cream Pie

1 Whole Wheat Pie Crust, baked

3⁄4 C shredded coconut

Banana Cream Pie Recipe minus bananas and whipped cream

Prepare Banana Cream Pie above EXCEPT fold in shredded coconut and omit the whipped cream and bananas. Pour hot coconut mixture into cooked and cooled whole wheat pie crust. Top with meringue.

Meringue topping

3 unused egg whites (from pudding mixture) 1⁄4 tsp cream of tartar 7 T sugar 1⁄4 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar. Add sugar, beating until all sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks are formed. Beat in vanilla and spoon onto hot coconut filling. Make sure you cover the entire pie and seal all edges of the pie tin with meringue. Cool in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

Variation: Fluffier Coconut Cream Pie: Fold shredded coconut in and then cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes is up, put mixture in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Stir the pudding mixture. Whip 1 C cream until soft peaks are formed. Fold whipped cream into cooled coconut pudding mixture. Top with Fluffy Whipped Cream, instead of meringue.